Earth"s Twin Planet Discovered

An international team of astronomers from Australia, the USA, the UK, and Denmark has made an exciting discovery — the exoplanet HD 137010 b, located just 146 light-years from Earth. This is reported in a study published in the prestigious scientific journal Astrophysical Journal.

The results of the preliminary analysis amaze scientists: the discovered object demonstrates a remarkable similarity to Earth and Mars in key parameters. HD 137010 b has become the first of its kind candidate possessing not only a radius close to Earth's, but also similar orbital characteristics, while transiting across the disk of a Sun-like star. The brightness of the parent star opens up unique opportunities for detailed follow-up observations, making this discovery truly exceptional.

The amazing planet was identified thanks to archival data from 2017, collected during the extended K2 mission of NASA's Kepler space telescope. According to calculations, the radius of HD 137010 b exceeds Earth's by only 6%, and its orbital period is an impressive 355 Earth days. Astronomers estimate the probability of the planet being in the potentially habitable zone of its star at 50%.

However, the researchers note an important nuance: the surface temperature on the planet is likely close to Martian and may drop below -70°C, since its star is colder and dimmer than our Sun.

If the exoplanet status is confirmed, HD 137010 b could be one of the closest analogs to Earth both in distance to us and in the combination of physical characteristics, which opens up exciting new possibilities for the search for extraterrestrial life.